


Violet in the Winter

by therebelangel



Category: Avengers (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, F/M, Love Triangles, Marvel Avengers - Freeform, Marvel Universe, Mutants, Original Characters - Freeform, Romance, winter soldier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2020-05-20 23:50:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19362082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therebelangel/pseuds/therebelangel
Summary: Bucky and Sam are now working with  a rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D, helping quell Earthly problems to keep people safe. Violet Noon is a lost woman, with no recollection of who she was before she was found by Nick Fury. She's recruited, due to her extraordinary abilities, and held in high regard by Fury. When a resurgence of experiments on enhanced people comes about, Violet is paired with Bucky and Sam to take it down before it becomes a problem.Secrets are kept, bonds are formed, and love is found in an unlikely place.





	1. Girl Walks Into A Bar

**Author's Note:**

> Wow here we are again... redoing this fanfic. I apologize AGAIN for redoing this, but I took time away from it because I wanted to write a really GOOD story with compelling characters and a story line that wasn't overly complicated. I spent time talking with friends and finally started understanding what I wanted to see out of this. 
> 
> So here we go, Violet in the Winter 3.0. 
> 
> Thank you for the support and I hope you enjoy the story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to Christian, who helped me edit this to make it sound better! I am very grateful for his help with this, truly! I hope you all enjoy!

_ “Fury we have a breach!”  _

 

_ The sound of shrill gunfire was heard in the distance as Nick Fury grabbed his pistol, leading the way from his office and out into the dimly lit hallway. S.H.I.E.L.D was reforming, and currently vulnerable. Fury had picked a remote location to work out of until he could get operations back to full capacity.  _

 

_ “Give me a status on the intruder,” Fury growled as an agent walked beside him.  _

 

_ “Hill is currently assessing, but from what I know, she tore a hole right through the gate.”  _

 

_ “Jesus...so she’s enhanced?”  _

 

_ “Sounds like it. She’s cleared our initial security, and is trying to breach the building.”  _

 

_ Fury nodded, moving a little quicker. As he got toward the front of the giant warehouse, he could hear the gunfire more clearly now. Hill was crouched by the main entrance, several other agents at her sides, as she held onto her pistol tightly. Fury madea beeline for her, crouching too.  _

 

_ “Update me.”  _

 

_ “One hostile, female. She’s enhanced.”  _

 

_ “And what are her enhancements?”  _

 

_ As Fury asked the question, one of the agents flew through the double doors, crashing to the ground. Hill gave Fury a look, before motioning to the other agents to move in.  _

 

_ “Wait,” Fury ordered and everyone stopped. He looked at Hill. “She’s alone? Did she say anything? Like if she’s looking for someone?”  _

 

_ “She’s alone and hasn’t said anything. She showed up at the perimeter, and made it past them, and kept going until she made it here.”  _

 

_ Fury nodded slowly looking at two agents.  _

 

_ “Get me snipers up top. I’m going to attempt to talk to her. Take her out if she turns hostile.”  _

 

_ Fury stood, his jacket flapping as he did so, and held his fist up, signaling the other agents to hold fire. He gave Hill a slight nod, as he dropped his pistol and stepped into the light, his hands up. In the middle of the courtyard stood a girl, no, woman. She was about average height with tanned skin and a wild mess of curly hair. She was dressed in tan, linen pants and a white long-sleeve dry fit shirt. Her eyes were scared, full of uncertainty. One agent had his gun aimed at her, letting a string of bullets fly at her. She waved her hand up, a golden arch appearing out of nowhere, as the bullets came to a slow near it before falling to her feet. The agent stumbled backwards, but the woman caught him, easily launching him across the yard.  _

 

_ She stopped hearing Fury behind her and looked at him with a wary glance, her fists balled up and glowing gold.  _

 

_ “We’re not going to harm you,” Fury started, taking a tentative step forward. The woman flinched, stepping backwards, while raising her hand. He stopped walking. “Please, we can help you, if you want.”  _

 

_ The woman looked at Fury, then looking around to see if anyone else was prepared to attack her.  _

 

_ “How’d you get here?”  _

 

_ She turned back to face Fury as he asked her another question. Fury’s frown deepened. Perhaps she couldn’t speak-  _

 

_ “I don’t know,” the woman replied in a clear voice. Okay, good. Progress.  _

 

_ “Well...this is a very secure and secret place. Surely you know something.”  _

 

_ “I...I woke up in a field… it wasn’t a far walk from here. I don’t know how I got there.”  _

 

_ “Okay that’s a start. Well, you’ve just broken into a place where covert operatives work.”  _

 

_ “Like...secret agents?”  _

 

_ “Something like that.”  _

 

_ Fury paused to look around, noting the fence indeed had a hole in it. He looked at the bodies of his men around her, all knocked unconscious with bullet shells at her feet. His eyes flicked back to her.  _

 

_ “It seems like you can do something with your hands there.”  _

 

_ “I can..I’m not quite sure what to call it. It just happened.”  _

 

_ “When you attacked my men?”  _

 

_ “Yes...I didn’t mean to hurt anyone...I’m just lost.”  _

 

_ This was a gamble. Looking at her, she did indeed seem lost. And if he hadn’t just witnessed her using her powers on someone, he’d have said she was harmless. But Fury knew better.  _

 

_ “Listen, I think we can help each other out. Are you willing to sit down and talk?”  _

 

_ The woman looked at Fury, his eye unemotional, but his body language was relaxed, hands at his sides, his chest toward her, exposing himself. The girl gave Fury a slow nod and Fury returned it.  _

 

_ “Do you at least remember your name,” he asked as he waved for Hill and the others. The agents slowly moved from their positions as Hill walked out to Fury’s side.  _

 

_ “Violet...Violet Noon.”  _

  
  


\--

  
  
  


“Please have a seat Violet,” Fury commanded as I ushered myself into his office. And by his office I meant it was a small room with no windows and dim lighting. He had a small, weathered desk with some paperwork strewn across it, and that was about it, save for the foldable chair that was placed in front of his desk. I quietly took a seat, waiting for him to explain why he had called me down. 

 

“I remember meeting a woman like you, confused of her past and all,” Fury began, standing as he spoke. He didn’t like to sit still when he talked. “She turned out to be our greatest ally. That was why when you stumbled upon us by accident, I let you in. I saw something in you that I felt would greatly aid us in protecting our world. Since then, I’d say my decision paid off.” 

 

I quietly listened to his speech, my eyes darting to the folder on his desk. My name was tacked across the tab, the S.H.I.E.L.D logo stared back at me. 

 

“You're an ace, kid. Top of your training, I mean if you call manhandling my best agents training- and you’ve got a knack for critical thinking. I need someone like you on the field right now.” 

 

He paused his walking, looking over at me with one intensely glaring eye. I wasn’t quite sure what to say to him. 

 

“Sir, with all due respect...are you sure that it’d be a good idea to send me onto the field,” I questioned slowly. Fury cocked his head at me, his eyebrow lifted in surprise. 

 

“Are you questioning my decision?” 

 

“Of course not.” 

 

“Good. I want you to head into town.There’s a nice bar there, Duny’s. You’ll find two nice, young gentlemen there having some lunch.” 

 

I nodded slowly and stood from my seat and left his office without another peep. 

 

\-- 

 

Duny’s was a small, uncrowded place nestled between two brick buildings. A dull, orange neon sign glowed in the afternoon sunlight. I was further instructed to dress “inconspicuously” to dissuade any attention, but as soon as I stepped in the bar, I felt all eyes hit me. I took a brief moment to look down at myself: Jeans, sneakers, a white t-shirt nestled under a jean jacket. My hair was even down, but I guess these were the type of patrons that never seen a girl before. I was nervous, of course. Fury had me work small cases, escorts and such...nothing like this. But if he had faith in me, I wasn’t going to let him down. I just needed a drink first. I made my way to the bar, waving the bartender down, and fished my I.D from my wallet. 

 

“Just a beer,” I ordered. The bartender, a rough looking biker type of guy, eyed me curiously. 

 

“Sure you don’t want to make it a martini or something,” he teased. I didn’t find it funny. 

 

“Make it three beers,” I insisted, sliding him over a wad of cash that was worth the three beers plush a nice twenty percent tip. He walked off to get my order and I could feel eyes penetrating the back of my skull. I looked over my left shoulder and found the source: The Winter Soldier. He was sitting with Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, or maybe soon Captain America. I had heard of them both. Everyone had. I turned my head back around as the beers were placed in front of me, condensation dripping down the glass. I spared the bartender a thankful glance and tipped the bitter liquid into my mouth. 

 

Three chugs was all it took for some idiot to approach me. 

 

“What’s a nice girl doing in a bar like this,” a bearded man oozed at my side. 

 

“Business.” 

 

“Business? You a working girl or something?” 

 

Did he just imply that I…. 

 

“Are you trying to say I’m a prostitute?” 

 

My voice was loud now. Loud enough to cease the chatter in the bar. The man shrugged, and stood up straight. 

 

“If the shoe fits.” 

 

I clenched my jaw, ready to lay into him, when a hand grasped his shoulder. He turned and there he was, James Buchanan Barnes. His hair was cropped short, blue eyes were steel  bullets as he glared at the man angrily. 

 

“I think it’s time you stepped off the lady,” he grumbled. Behind him, Sam was standing, arms crossed and looking equally intimidating. The man, who was much bigger than both of them, scoffed, lifting an eyebrow. 

 

“Sorry, was I offending your slut,” the man challenged. James made a surprised look, his mouth open to verbally attack the guy. He didn’t get the chance as the two extra beers I had crashed over the giant man’s head, sending him crumpling to the floor in a heap of glass and beer. 

 

“Christ,” James exclaimed, jumping backward, clearly shocked at what happened. I dropped the remainder of the beer bottles, flicking sticky beer away from my hands. I reached for my beer as the bartender stood in awe. I sighed, rolling my eyes and slid him some extra cash for the trouble before I turned to face James and Sam, who was now at his side. 

 

“Sergeant Barnes, Mr. Wilson,” I started, but paused to take another swig of my beer. “I’m here for a meeting.” 

 

\-- 

 

After the man was hauled away and the glass cleaned, I had seated myself at the table with James and Sam, both who looked at me like I was the scariest thing in the bar. 

 

“Is there a problem,” I asked slowly and they both started to sputter. 

 

“No, no, no,” Sam let out. 

 

“No ma’am, not at all,” James spat. 

 

I smiled slightly and sat myself up a little straighter. 

 

“So Fury sent you,” James asked before I could begin. I nodded, pulling out a black dossier and sat it on the table. 

 

“He did. My name’s Violet Noon, I work very closely with Director Fury and it seems that he would like me to work with you both now,” I began. Sam gave James a sideways glance, before looking down at the dossier. 

 

“What’s that,” he nodded at the dossier. With my finger tips, I slid it across the table to Sam who opened it up. 

 

“My resume so to speak,” I replied. 

 

“47 missions, 0 casualties under your watch, 84 kills confirmed,” James muttered as he peered at my sheet. 

 

“What are you, a super cop,” Sam scoffed. 

 

“Just a very eager agent wanting to save the world.” 

 

“Save the world? I suppose Fury sent a mission with you,” James continued. 

 

“You’d be correct Sergeant Barnes-” 

 

“Bucky.” 

 

“What?” 

 

I looked up at him and he was looking me in my eyes. My body felt frozen in place as he stared at me. Was he checking me out or trying to pick me apart? I couldn’t tell, but it made me feel vulnerable. 

 

“Bucky,” I let out slowly. He gave a slight nod as I gathered myself to continue. “Well, there seems to be a resurgence of underground labs in Mexico. European scientists have been kidnapped and taken there to work on something called “The Horde”. We’ve been monitoring the place, trying to insert a mole, but they are airtight. Somehow, they’ve gotten a hold of vibranium during the Snap and that is what they seem to be working off of. So far we were able to weed out two of the men spearheading the operation: Andrei Kapcic and Lorenzo Cuppi. We bugged a few underlings and got something in the form of a party in the coming week. They’ll be there, so we will too.” 

 

Bucky and Sam sat for a moment absorbing the information. I waited with baited breath, wondering what was going through their minds. 

 

“And Fury expects us to work with you,” Sam spoke first. I folded my hands neatly in front of me. 

 

“Well, of course.” 

 

“We don’t know anything about you.” 

 

I felt my palms get sweaty. If he had questions about my past, I didn’t have many answers. 

 

“Where’d you come from? We never heard of you and we’ve known Fury for years,” Sam continued, pausing giving Bucky a look as if to say “yikes”, before looking back at me. “He never mentioned you. Are you ex military? What’s your deal.” 

 

I didn’t want to talk about this. I didn’t want this to turn into an interrogation, but they had to know something. Well not everything. I gave Sam a stern look, moving it to Bucky as well as I leaned forward a bit. 

 

“After everyone was brought back from the snap, I woke up in a field, with no memory of how I got there or who I was before then. The only thing I knew was my name. I stumbled upon Fury by accident and he took me in, trained me, and now we’re here.” 

 

My tone may have seemed a bit abrasive as it evidently didn’t clear up their questions. Unfortunately that was about the best I could do. Bucky sighed and folded his hands in front of him, finally allowing me a chance to look at his metal arm. It was covered up by his jacket, save for his hand. The vibranium was black and had yellow, no, a dull gold in the crevices. Bucky pulled the sleeve up on his wrist, clearly trying to get me to stop staring at his metal arm. 

 

“So what are we supposed to do now,” Bucky asked. “What are the orders?” 

 

I smiled at this slightly, leaning back in my seat and took a swig of my beer. 

 

“We pack our bags for a vacation.” 


	2. Deep

Of course Bucky and Sam wanted to verify things, and so we made our way back to headquarters. I sat outside of Fury’s office for a few minutes, trying to listen in on the back and forth. From what I caught, they weren’t sure about me, which to be fair was a good mindset. It was hard to trust just anyone and if anyone taught me about trust, it was the master of distrust himself: Fury. 

 

I eventually left my post in front of Fury’s office and made my way to the weapons room. S.H.I.E.L.D was small and growing again, but you could bet they had at least a weapons room. It was little more than an over sized maintenance room. The walls were outfitted with gun racks, carrying guns ranging from sniper rifles to service hand guns.  A few lockers were installed for storage of bullet proof vests and ammunition, and the center of the room had three silver tables. I made my way to one of the lockers, fishing out a tactical vest for myself, when there was the gentle sound of the bottom of the door scraping the floor. 

 

“I suppose Fury cleared up your questions,” I said without turning around. 

 

“How’d you know,” Bucky’s voice echoed in the room. My body tensed momentarily. I had no idea why, but I didn’t expect him to be the one looking for me. I turned as he stood, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were locked onto me like I was some piece of art he was trying to figure out. 

 

“The door scrapes the floor and makes just the faintest of noises when it opens,” I explained, moving from the locker to center table, laying the vest down. Bucky nodded, looking at the bottom of the door and back to me. 

 

“Sorry if I seemed mistrustful earlier.” 

 

“Don’t be. It’s a good trait to have especially with the world the way it is.” 

 

The room grew quiet again as we both kept our mouths closed. I didn’t exactly know how to address him. He was a surly, super soldier with a metal arm, and a long history of being at war. I was… I didn’t know what I was. 

 

“Have you tried finding out about your past,” he asked suddenly. I placed my palms flat on the silver table, leaning my weight on it before I addressed him. 

 

“Of course. I have no fingerprints in the system, no dental records or birth certificate. Fury spent months searching for a shred of evidence. It was like...I just appeared out of thin air.” 

 

“I’m sure there’s gotta be something out there.” 

 

“Possibly. I stopped looking for answers a long time ago and focused on helping here with Fury.” 

 

“You and Fury seem...close.” 

 

I looked at him, my mouth tugged into a lopsided smile. 

 

“Do we?” 

 

“Yeah, he talked highly of you. He said you were his best since Natasha and Clint, and I worked with them, er well...sort of.”

 

He looked like he was trying to find the right words to explain, but was failing. 

 

“No need, I’ve read you up.” 

 

“Oh, you have?” 

 

My eyes flashed upwards and he smiled. For that moment, he didn’t look like the scary, highly trained assassin I had read about. He looked like a sweet guy, who had a boyish charm about him. 

 

“Fury told me it’d be wise to know who I worked with,” I let out, trying to sound professional. 

 

“So tell me what you know.” 

 

“Okay…” I paused for a moment, trying to gather myself as I straightened up from the table. “Well for starters, you were born in Brooklyn, New York. You met Steve Rogers when you were kids and had been best friends ever since. You were drafted in the second world war, then captured by HYDRA and used as a test subject-” 

 

“And what about after?” 

 

“...You were brainwashed and used as a weapon.Then after the bombing at the embassy, you had your brainwashing corrected.” 

 

“I see...so only the good stuff, then,” Bucky replied. 

 

“Shouldn’t that be the only thing that matters?” 

 

“I suppose you have a point.”  

 

Silence again. 

 

I took the time to return to the gun rack and grabbed a Glock and combat knife before I stood there, figuring out which other firearm to get. I wasn’t really good at deep conversations. Nobody here talked to me much anyway. My life was mission, rest, train, rest, mission. I didn’t have friends. Fury hardly counted as a friend. He was my superior, a mentor. Suddenly I felt Bucky stand behind me,  _ very _ closely. From my peripheral, I could see him reach above me, grabbing a machine gun. I turned my head, just ever so slightly and caught his gaze. What was his deal? 

 

“And what about you? What makes you so special that Fury wants us to work together?” 

 

It was a great question, and something I’m sure he saved to ask me personally. After my first kill in the field, I came back to a lot of people scared of what I could do. So I had asked Fury to keep my abilities on a need to know basis, meaning if I wanted someone to know, I’d be the one telling them. 

 

And right now, I didn’t want to tell Bucky that I was some mutant person that could manipulate kinetic energy. As I turned to face him, he backed off to give me space. 

 

“You saw the folder-” 

 

“That doesn’t answer my question.” 

 

I bit my tongue. Why was he so intense? 

 

“Fury, unlike a lot of people, trusts me. I haven’t failed a mission and he believes that my skills and knowledge of the area and situation can aide you and Sam.” 

 

Bucky nodded, taking what I said for the time being as Sam entered the room. 

 

“Looks like you check out,” he announced, clearly late to the conversation. He paused, eyes shifting between me and Bucky. “Everything good…?” 

 

“Yup.” 

 

“Yes” 

 

We both answered at the same time. Sam nodded slowly and jabbed his thumb toward the door. 

 

“The jet’s ready.” 

 

\-- 

 

The flight to Mexico was almost entirely uneventful. Sam co-piloted with me and asked about music. I couldn’t provide good enough answers, or at least I felt that way since he stopped asking. We landed safely and made our way to the safehouse set up for us. The town of Puerto Vallarta was loud and noisy, but once you got further away, toward the jungle, it was peaceful. The safehouse was a small villa, complete with a courtyard and fountain. It sat on the edge of the city,with a good vantage point. The sun was already setting by the time we arrived and Sam had loudly called dibs on the biggest bedroom. 

 

I lugged my gear to an empty room and went to work with configuring our earpieces. After about thirty minutes sitting at the desk, I felt myself slowly lull into tiredness. I folded my arms and rested my head on them, allowing sleep to take over me. 

  
  


_ Screams echoed in a dark void.  _

 

_ Heat seemed to radiate from my skin.   _

 

_ Hot.  _

 

_ I was hot.  _

 

_ There was a sense of dread deep in myself and I had no idea why.  _

 

_ “Violet!”  _

 

_ My...name. Someone was yelling my name. It was a man’s voice, deep and rich. It felt so familiar, so...safe. A flash of light and I squeezed my eyes shut, catching a glimpse of the stars, but not the stars I knew from Earth. No these were brilliant and burning and so close that I could just touch them…  _

 

_ “You won’t have her.”  _

 

_ A female voice. It was soft, like cotton, but fierce like a dagger. I wanted her to touch me, to hold me tightly. I suddenly felt out of breath, like the oxygen was being taken away from my lungs. What was happening? My lips tried to move, but no words came out.  _

  
  


_ “Violet Noon...you will be mine.”  _

 

_ The voice was dark with sinister intentions. My stomach backflipped and tumbled as I felt myself get jostled around.  _

 

_ Round and round.  _

_ I was hot again, and a stabbing pain hit the back of my skull. I felt weightless then, like I was floating.  _

 

_ It was dark.  _

 

_ I could almost touch the stars.  _

 

_ And-  _

  
  


I gasped loudly as my body awakened from my sleep. A small burst of gold emitted from my body as I snapped up, pushing me in my chair from the desk. My arms were straight out in front of me, stiff with fright. Slowly I let them down and let out a deep breath. Lately, I kept having that dream. The only explanation I could give was that it was a memory of some sort. It was so jumbled that it didn’t make any clear sense to me at all. 

 

I needed fresh air. 

 

I grabbed my binoculars and headed up to the roof of the villa as is: cotton shorts and a tank top. By the time I reached up there, I hadn’t realized it was a bit chillier than I anticipated. Still, I was already there, so I wouldn’t be going back. Down below was a small treeline before the glittering lights of the town off ahead. Beyond that the ocean was a black pit, barely visible due to the lights. Barefoot, I padded over to the edge of the building and sat down, pulling my legs into a criss cross. I took a deep breath in and smelled the salty ocean. It was nice. Maybe one day I could live somewhere by the ocean. 

 

I pulled the binoculars up to my eyes and began scanning the skyline. So far it was uninteresting, but anything was better than thinking about that dream. 

 

“I thought I was the only one awake,” Bucky’s voice drifted across the open space and to my ears. I jumped, fumbling with the binoculars as I turned to face Bucky. He stood in sweats, a black t-shirt and a light jacket. The light breeze lifted little pieces of his hair into the air. I cleared my throat, but remained seated. 

 

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep,” I finally let out. I could hear him move towards me, before he sat down to my right, his legs dangling over the edge of the building. 

 

“I always had a hard time sleeping. It’s like...every night...there’s a face of someone I killed.” 

 

“You...you weren’t yourself when it happened,” I offered. “I mean...you are a victim here.” 

 

“Yes...but I won’t forget their faces. Is that why you’re up too?” 

 

“What? Oh...no. I...everyone I’ve killed has been bad, horrible people. Death was an easy way out for them.” 

 

“So why are you awake then?” 

 

I went quiet at his question. I didn’t know if it’d be good to divulge the fact that I had a recurring nightmare that may reveal my past to him just yet. But still...I was going to anyway. 

 

“I...I keep having this dream. It’s so blurry and fuzzy that I can’t make out much. It’s dark, and I can hear three people, two men and a woman. One of the men sounds comforting...like I knew him, the woman is safe too, and the other man...he is evil, I just know it. I can see stars...but not the stars that I can see from Earth.”  I took a moment to look up at the sky. The stars were dull in comparison to my dream. “The stars seem so close in that dream, almost like I can touch them.” 

 

I looked over at Bucky, who watched me with patient eyes. There was a sadness in them, like perhaps he felt bad for me. I didn’t want pity. I was just a lost thing, and there were a lot of lost things. But lost things found new homes a lot, and S.H.I.E.L.D was mine. 

 

“It sounds like a memory. Maybe you’re getting them back?” 

 

“Maybe,” I let roll from my lips. 

 

“Our minds are strange like that. They know exactly what we don’t, and yet won’t tell us. It’s always vague.” 

 

I let a soft chuckle at the sentiment. He lifted an eyebrow at me, his lips pulling into a slight smile. 

 

“Are you laughing at me?” 

 

“No, I’m laughing at the thought of my own brain withholding valuable information from me. Kind of a dick move if you ask me.” 

 

Bucky’s smile broadened and he laughed a little. His laugh was nice, not as rough as I pictured. Even as I watched him, my brain began to think about how good looking he was when he wasn’t a menacing, metal armed killer. The moonlight bathed him in a pale glow, highlighting the slope of his nose. His lips were pouty, with a nicely shaped cupid’s bow and a strong jawline that was covered in stubble. I was too busy staring at him, that I didn’t catch his laugh die out and his blue eyes stare back at me. 

 

“You’re shivering.” 

 

“Huh? Oh,” I finally let out, breaking eye contact, and looked away. No, that wasn’t okay. I shouldn’t have done that. Now he probably thought I was some lovelorn girl. I wasn’t that, not even close. 

 

He stood suddenly, his frame elongating above me. 

 

“I’m gonna head back. Maybe you should try to get some rest,” he said, his voice soft with concern. I looked up and gave a slight nod, still not trusting myself to speak . I turned back toward the town and my fingers tapped the binoculars, when suddenly I felt something draped around my shoulders. I reached up to grab it and felt my heart spike. Was this…? 

 

I turned around, watching Bucky head back towards the door...without his jacket. 


	3. Follow My Lead

When I woke up, I barely remembered bringing myself down from the roof. I was unfocused, and that could prove dangerous in the field. I sat up, my hand picked my curls back from my face, when I felt something wrapped around my hand. I looked down and exhaled softly. 

Bucky's jacket.

I looked at it and slowly remembered being on the rooftop with him, having a brief conversation. He looked like he wanted to talk more, but he was afraid. Or maybe I scared him off.

"Violet," a knock on my door and the sound of Sam's voice sent me tumbling off my bed. I landed loudly, the blanket tangled in my leg as Sam flung the door open, his eyes wide. Once he realized I was okay, and nothing more than a bumbling agent on the ground, tangled in my own blanket, he smirked and leaned against the door frame.

"I didn't know super, secret agents had two left feet," he quipped. I slightly glared at him from the ground, chastising myself for being clumsy in front of him. I scrambled to my feet, my hair falling in my face. In that instant, Sam's expression changed from amusement to...something I wasn't quite sure of. His eyes went soft as he scanned me, and his smile dropped to a small line, his lips slightly opened.

"What are you looking at," I asked, my brows knitted as I looked back at him. He made a move, pushing himself from the door frame and shook his head.

"Uh...nothing. Breakfast is on the table," he muttered before disappearing.

After Sam left, I pulled on some tapered sweatpants, a t-shirt, and sneakers before I made my way to the kitchen. It smelled good, thankfully, and I took a moment to wait in the doorway as I watched Sam scoop eggs onto two plates. From a small speaker, music was playing, but I didn't know what song it was.

"Do you always cook," I let out, causing him to drop the spatula into the pan. He looked at me over his shoulder and frowned.

"Ha, ha, couldn't wait to get me back, could you," he teased, grabbing the spatula from the pan and tossing it into the sink.

"No, just thought an Avenger would be quicker on their toes," I teased back, pulling a chair out for myself before sitting in it. Sam went quiet again as he sat a plate in front of me, piled with bacon, potatoes, eggs, and fruit. He placed his own plate down, before sitting across from me.

"Do you always cook," I questioned again, digging a fork into the potatoes first. They had a nice crisp to them, and were soft and flavorful once I had started chewing them.

"Kinda have to when you live on your own."

I continued to chew the food,looking up at him as he looked back at me over the rim of his coffee cup.

"It's good."

"Thank you. So... you don't know your past, which sucks, so...what do you know about yourself?"

The space between us grew quiet as I finished chewing and swallowing my food.

"Um...I like the ocean."

"What do you like about it?"

"It's peaceful. It feels like home."

"Favorite thing to do when you aren't on a mission?"

"I like to...sketch."

"What do you think your past was?"

I paused, a piece of bacon in my mouth. Sam was persistent, but not annoying. He sat patiently, chewing on his own food as he awaited my answer.

"I don't know... maybe military? Or something to do with space. Fury didn't have to train me too much in combat. I was already really skilled, I bested his top agents in the program."

"Maybe you have a bad case of amnesia?"

"Maybe...I just stopped looking for answers. I'm a ghost, no records. No reason to continue a fruitless search."

"Yeah, but... wouldn't it be nice to know who you are? Or where you came from, what your life was like before all of this? Your parents, siblings even?"

I began to pick at my eggs with my fork as Sam stared at me over the small distance. My eyes focused on the remaining food on the plate, which was now going cold as my silence allowed time to go on and on. In my head, I had imagined a good life for myself. One where I had a mother and father who loved and looked after me. Maybe even a brother to protect and defend me, and a sister to confide in. A dog would be the cherry on top in a house with a large backyard. I envisioned myself as successful, polite, and well liked, the opposite of what I was now: feared.

My eyes slowly looked back up at Sam, who quietly awaited an answer.

"It...yes. I used to dream about it often when I got into S.H.I.E.L.D. I cried too. Nobody was looking for me either, so it felt like I was just dropped off and forgotten about. Eventually I learned to live with the fact that I had no one," I explained. Sam was quiet for a moment, his face in thought.

"The good thing about doing all of this is that you find the family you weren't looking for. I've seen it, been a part of it now for years. If this is the life you choose, it will be the best family you could dream of," he let out finally.

His words were soft and kind in nature. It made me feel better about my whole ordeal. I gave a smile and nodded.

"Thank you Sam. I really appreciate it."

He smiled, revealing the gap in his teeth. He had a nice smile, one that invited conversation and laughs. It made me want to talk more. Before our conversation could continue, the side door to the kitchen opened, and Bucky walked in. His forehead had a sheen of sweat on it, and the veins in his arm were bulging from the skin. I averted my eyes as he entered further, moving to the sink.

"The party is tonight," he said, as he pumped soap into his hands and turned the faucet on.

"Oh well that's great. I forgot my party clothes," Sam grumbled, and picked up his plate, putting it in the sink that Bucky had finished cleaning his hands in. Bucky shot him a bored look, before turning to wipe his hands on a towel. A knock on the door rang out, causing us all to tense up. Bucky's hand went to his sidearm, strapped to his hip, while Sam had grabbed onto a knife. Under the table, my fist began to hum with energy, but I stopped in fear of being caught. The knock happened again and Bucky moved before either me or Sam could.

His jaw was set as he slowly cracked the door open, the pistol already drawn at his side.

"H-Hola, tengo un paquete para ti."

It was an older Mexican woman, with grey hair, tied neatly in a bun. She had a duffel bag at her feet. Bucky looked confused as she repeated what she said.

"I'm sorry I don't understand," he let out slowly. I stood up from the chair and Bucky looked back at me, his eyes telling me to stay, but I ignored him. I stood by the door giving the woman a warm smile.

"Hola señorita, ¿dijo que tiene algo para nosotros," I asked politely. Bucky blinked at me in bewilderment. She nodded and looked down at the bag.

"Sí, el hombre oscuro me dijo que te lo trajera."

"El ... hombre oscuro?"

"Es alto, calvo, con un parche en el ojo. Hombre muy pirata."

I nodded slowly, a bigger smile on my face. Fury. Of course. I grabbed the bag from the ground and gave the woman a nod.

"Muchas gracias señorita. Tenga un buen día."

The old lady gave me a smile and shuffled away. Bucky closed the door and gave me a stern look.

"Are you crazy? That could've been someone to kill us," he said, holstering his gun.

"If someone came to kill us, I doubt they would be knocking on the door," I retorted, lugging the bag to the kitchen and depositing it on the table.

"What did she have to say anyways," he pushed, moving in behind me.

"All that spy work and neither of you speak Spanish," I teased, looking at him and Sam, before unzipping the bag. "It's a package from Fury." I dug my hand in, feeling around until I brought out a silk shirt and tie. I tossed it to Sam, who caught it with ease.

"Party clothes," I stated with a raised brow.

\--

Once the sun had begun to set, I had started to get ready for the mission. I pulled the dress that was left in the duffel for me out and placed it on the bed, looking it over. It was pale orange, silk, and long with layers of fringe. The straps were thin and tied at the top. Fury sure knew how to pick his dresses. I wrestled with my hair for a few minutes before getting it up in a bun with curly tendrils framing my face. My make up was simple, yet elegant enough to attract the right person. I slipped into the dress and fixed the straps before trying to get the zipper up. I got it up about an inch or two before it got stuck.

With a huff and tried at it again, feeling it grip onto the fabric. From the mirror, I saw the door swing open as Bucky stuck his head inside. He flinched, seeing my bare back, and stammered.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't be. I need help, actually," I called before he could retreat. I heard him sigh slightly, before he fully came into the room. He was wearing tan tapered slacks and a black, silk long sleeved button up. There wasn't much to do about hiding his arm, except cover it, but oh well.

"The zipper is stuck," I added as he stopped behind me. He looked down at my dress, before looking up at me through the mirror. He looked slightly nervous, as though this was his first encounter with a woman alone. I opened my mouth to make a joke, lighten the mood, but he put his hand on my waist and the smallest of breaths left my lips. His eyes flickered to me again, then back on the dress just as quickly. With his other hand, he jiggled the zipper loose, and zipped it up the curve of my spine. The act was innocent enough, something anyone could do to another, but it felt so...close. His hand lingered on my waist, and it felt like his metal fingers were burning through the fabric of my dress.

"There," he spoke after a moment, taking his hand off my waist and stepping away. I turned around and offered him a smile. He smiled back, clearing his throat.

"I was coming to get you. Sam went ahead to set up watch," he started, clearly not focused on his words. I gave a single nod, and grabbed my purse from the chair.

"We should be going then," I replied. Bucky nodded, and gestured for me to go. I began walking toward the door when he spoke again.

"You look...very nice, Violet."

I turned to face him again, his cheeks flushed with color. Was he blushing?

"Thank you," fell from my lips in a tone that I couldn't quite identify.

\--

The club was much smaller than I had imagined. It looked quaint, and not at all packed, but as we flashed our invitations to the security, the notion that this place was empty was put on the back burner. It was packed wall to wall with people as music thumped so loudly, the ground vibrated.

"Sam to ground, how's the comms working for you," Sam's voice crackled to life in my ear.

"Comms is operational," I replied and looked over to Bucky who nodded. "That's for us both."

"Good. Looks like the guests of honor are arriving soon. They are about four miles out," Sam continued.

"We'll get settled and I'll set on them," I said, before moving deeper into the club. A small bar stood and I made it there in one piece, Bucky towering by my side.

"Cerveza," I ordered with a smile. The bartender, a young looking fellow with curly brown hair and hazel eyes grinned. He looked to Bucky and then me again.

"Y para tu novio?" he asked, nodding toward Bucky. I looked over to him with raised brows.

"Beer?" I offered. He nodded and gave a tight lipped smile. I nodded to the bartender and he turned with a loud sigh, grabbing the two bottles and setting them in front of us. I squeezed the lime into my bottle, poking it through the bottleneck before I tipped it into my mouth.

"So do you normally order beers for your boyfriend," Bucky asked right as the beer hit my throat. I choked, loudly and the beer went spilling from my mouth. I jumped out of the way to not ruin my dress and looked up at him, as he laughed at me.

"You understood what he said?" I nearly barked, my hand snatching a napkin from the bar and patting my mouth.

"I understood the 'novio' part," he admitted, taking a long drink of his beer. I stared at him a for a long moment, before returning to my drink.

"When they need me to," I replied after another choke-free swig.

"I remember when I would order the drinks for the ladies. They practically begged me to. Then I'd take them dancing all night long, till their feet hurt, and I had to carry them home," he recounted. I leaned against the bar, smiling at the story.

"I bet you're still out there wooing and dancing the night away with some fine young women," I observed. Bucky shrugged, looking slightly bashful.

"No..haven't found the right partner to dance with yet," he said, his eyes growing soft as I took another drink. A slow number began to play and everybody grabbed a partner, slinking onto the dance floor like snakes. I watched them go, moving and writhing. Then something dawned on me.

"I...I never danced before," I let slip. I clamped my jaw shut as I peeked over to Bucky, who slowly moved his beer from his lips. He sat it down on the bar top and took my beer from my hand. His hand enveloped mine, almost like a glove as he took it in his. He guided me to a relatively open space before turning me to face him. I blinked up at him, looking like a lamb.

"Lesson one, always follow my lead," he instructed. His hand tightened around mine, while the other pressed itself against the small of my back, pulling me close to him. My heart was a drum, doling out a steady beat every second that he was close. His chest pressed against me and I worried if he could feel my heartbeat. "Lesson two, relax."

My eyes snapped up to him, as he smiled down at me. I rolled my eyes and tried to think of something else as he gently swayed us in time with the music. We were jostled by the other partners, moving much more intimately than our little swaying two-step.

"See? Not so bad," Bucky's voice drifted down to me. I looked up again and he had a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, yeah."

"I think you're doing so good... time to fancy it up a little."

"What?"

Before I could say no, he had taken a step back and raised my arm above my head, gently turning me. I went with his movement, turning until I faced him again. I thought he was going to simply pull me towards him, but his arm extended out further and he nodded at me. In that moment I felt a wave of familiarity. The crowded Mexican club became a wide hall with glistening walls of white and gold. The floor was so shiny I could see my reflection. Someone held my hand so gingerly and loving, I trusted them. I blinked and I was back in the club, Bucky looking at me with encouragement. I pushed off my back foot, turning myself into his arm until my back met his chest.

"You're a natural," he breathed onto the top of my head. I looked up at him and nodded. I wasn't sure at that moment, but something inside of me woke up. Something that had been dormant for so long. Before Bucky could move, I grasped his other hand and placed it on my waist until both of his arms were wrapped around me, holding me against his chest. I moved my hips back and forth in time with the sultry rhythm. I felt a thumping against my shoulder blades. Was his heart beating faster now too?

"I think you are breaking rule number one," he nearly whispered into my ear.

"Should...I stop," I asked, my movements slowing. His arms tightened in response and I exhaled sharply.

"No. Rules can be broken," he replied. We danced a few moments longer like that, just us in a sea of people. Once you looked past the roughness of Bucky's personality, he was sweet, caring even. It was refreshing with all the missions, killing, and fighting I had been through. Bucky moved behind me, one hand remaining around my waist as the other moved to cup the nap of my neck and he suddenly dipped me. I gasped a little at the sudden movement, my eyes locked onto Bucky who stared down at me. His eyes were so blue and kind that it made my heart thump. No... he couldn't like me. We were just getting to know each other. Besides...he didn't know what I was yet.

"Heads up you two," Sam's voice floated into my earpiece. Bucky blinked, hearing the message too, but not moving.

"Excuse me," a voice behind me said suddenly. I tipped my head back enough to see three sets of feet, followed by a man looking down at me, his smile gleaming. Bucky let me up and I turned to fully face the group. The man that spoke was tall, kind of greasy looking with slicked dark hair and dark sunglasses. The other was blonde, buff and had a scar running across his cheek. The woman that stood beside them was inhumanely beautiful, with ebony skin, and deep piercing eyes that bore right into my chest. The dark haired man offered his hand toward me.

"If I may, I'd love a dance with this enchanting woman," he asked.


End file.
